The Golden Bear closed down in January 1986, though to hang around people who frequented the place, you might swear the dark, cozy, intimate musical venue once located near PCH and Main is still there. People speak of it in such loving and present terms, rifling through old memories like they happened yesterday, that it still seems very much alive. Stories of Joplin, Ronstadt, Garcia, the Ramones and on and on are all part of the lore.